September Girls seem to exist in a universe swathed in monochrome, bathed in black and white. It’s one framed by familiar references – Spector pop, Krautrock, The Jesus and Mary Chain – but displayed a fresh way.
Spraying their razor-sharp cool across a series of singles, debut album ‘Cursing The Sea’ arrives in menacing form. There’s a sense of ennui in ‘Another Love Song’, of railing against the restraints that define them. ‘Heartbeats’ is visceral psychedelia, the sound of a bad trip soundtracked by a feedback wail.
Short, sharp and to the point, even the tracklisting doesn’t hang about, with September Girls punctuating their meaning via one-word song titles: ‘Talking’, ‘Daylight’, ‘Money’ et al.
It’s limited, for sure, but also precocious. The sonic palette may be familiar, but the strength of songwriting indicates that September Girls might, just might, be capable of pushing past this. For now, though, it’s a thrilling ride that adds dangerous shades of noir to that jangle-pop format.
7/10
Words: Robin Murray
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'Green Eyed'
